Sourdough King Cake
This sourdough king cake is perfect for Mardi Gras, with a soft, sliceable dough and a cinnamon cream cheese filling. Big flavor without a long fermentation.
This sourdough king cake is a cozy, cinnamon-swirled twist on a classic, made with a soft, bread-style dough and shaped into a simple wreath. The dough is lightly fermented with sourdough starter for flavor, and supported with a bit of instant yeast so you can enjoy that depth without turning it into a multi-day project.
Filled with a cinnamon cream cheese swirl and baked until golden, this is the kind of bake that feels special for celebrating Mardis Gras but still fits into your real life schedule.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- All the flavor, none of the waiting – Using both sourdough starter and instant yeast gives you that subtle tang and depth you love without committing to a three-day baking timeline.
- Soft, sliceable, and perfect for sharing – The bread-style dough bakes up tender and sturdy, making it easy to slice and ideal for brunch, gatherings, or slow weekend mornings.
- Familiar comfort with a fun twist – If you love cinnamon rolls but want something a little different, this wreath-style king cake delivers the same cozy flavors in a fresh, unfussy way.
If you love the cozy cinnamon flavors in this sourdough king cake, there are a few other sweet bakes worth exploring next. Sourdough cinnamon rolls are a natural place to start if you enjoy soft, swirled dough and warm spice, while cinnamon roll focaccia offers the same flavors in a more rustic, shareable format. For something a little simpler but just as comforting, sourdough cinnamon swirl bread delivers that classic cinnamon-sugar goodness in an easy, sliceable loaf. Each of these recipes uses sourdough to add depth and flavor without making baking feel complicated, giving you plenty of ways to keep playing with your starter.
How to make a king cake with sourdough starter
Here’s a brief overview of making this recipe so you can get an idea of what to expect. For the full set of directions, please scroll down to the recipe card below.
Step One: Make the dough
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the ingredients for the dough and mix until smooth, about 5-8 minutes.
Step Two: Bulk Ferment
Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the dough to bulk ferment in a warm place until doubled, about 1-3 hours, depending on the temperature and humidity of your house.
Step Three: Make the filling
In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the almond extract and cinnamon until combined.
Step Four: Assemble the king cake
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle. Spread the cream cheese filling over the dough evenly. Starting at one end, roll the dough up into a spiral like you would for cinnamon rolls. Make sure to pinch the seam really well so the filling doesn’t leak out during baking.
Carefully transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and form into a wreath shape, making sure to pinch the ends together. Cover with a towel and allow to proof for another 1-2 hours, until doubled in size and puffy.
Step Five: Bake
Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
Step Six: Decorate and Enjoy
Once the cake is cooled, mix together the icing in a small bowl until smooth and then drizzle over top of the king cake. Immediately decorate with green, yellow, and purple sanding sugar in stripes. Enjoy immediately, or allow to sit out for a few hours for the icing to set.
Sourdough is better when shared
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Sourdough King Cake
Ingredients
Method
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm milk, sugar, and yeast and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy and active.
- Mix in the sourdough starter, water, melted butter, egg, vanilla and salt and mix until combined.
- Slowly add in the flour and combine until you get a shaggy dough.
- Switch to a dough hook and mix for 5-8 minutes until the dough is a smooth ball.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, covered with a towel, until the dough is doubled in size, between 1-3 hours.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened butter until light and fluffy.
- Add in the cinnamon and almond extract.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle.
- Evenly spread the cinnamon cream cheese filling over the dough.
- Starting at one long end of the dough, roll the dough up into a log (like a cinnamon roll), making sure the pinch the seam closed.
- Carefully transfer the cinnamon roll log to a parchment paper lined baking tray and wrap into a wreath shape, pinching the ends together.
- Cover with a towel and allow to proof to double in size, another 1-2 hours.
- Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes, until golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely before glazing.
- In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and almond extract until smooth and the consistency you want.
- Drizzle over the cooled cake and then use the sanding sugar to make stripes of purple, green and yellow.
- Allow the cake to sit for a while for the icing to set.
